Planning Ahead and Breaking the 9 to 5

Summer has arrived! It's been humid and sunny with blue skies and puffy clouds in the sky. The weather is screaming, come out and play!

But clients are also screaming, and it’s not about summer fun.

The reality is that even though I know in my head I run the show, I'm my own boss, I can work when I want, and I can set my own hours, I'd be lying if I said I don't feel guilty if I'm not at my desk most of the day.

For some reason, entrepreneurship has hit me in all the right ways for so many other things except for my schedule. When it comes to my schedule, if I'm being truthful, I feel extreme guilt and anxiety when I'm not at my desk.

I feel like when people hit my inbox, Vox me, or send a text, I have to jump, and I end up feeling like I've got 12 bosses.

Summertime is the best time to stretch a muscle that we usually don't lean into as much during the winter months when we're hunkered down and don't mind spending a few extra hours indoors or at our desks.

Summertime is a time when the schedules go upside down, kids are home from school, activities with families are planned, summer vacations beckon and you want to be able to be more flexible with your schedule.

The reality is, why did you go to work for yourself? To have that flexibility to enjoy your summer!

But if you're not leaning into that opportunity to be flexible, then you're not really taking advantage of the very reason you became an entrepreneur.

Recently, my sister came for a visit, and since I knew she was coming, I worked extra hours prior to her arrival. As we know, despite the fact that we want to talk big about flexibility, schedules, and time awareness, we also have work that has to get done.

I made sure that the immediate needs were done, and while she was here, I tried my best to just check in twice a day — once in the morning and once in the evening. I carved out pockets of time to do the necessities for my clients in the morning or in the evening hours.

As it turns out, unlike years past when I've gone to visit her with my laptop in tow and parked myself at her kitchen table to work for four and five-hour stretches, this time, my nieces and my nephew and my son got more of my attention. I was able to do activities with them. I was able to spend time with them and enjoy the moments that we had together while we were visiting.

They were only gonna be in town for a week, and I was only going to be able to have this opportunity one time this year, so why wouldn't I do what I could to enjoy it?

Were there a few hiccups along the way? Yes, there were a few wee ones, and I ended up leaning on a few people to help me out during those moments. But this time, I didn't feel as guilty. I didn't feel as pressured as I had or as anxious as I had in years past because it was okay for me to not get to it right when someone beckoned.

It was a reminder that I don't have to jump when someone says how high. I can wait and determine when I want to take that jump.

Planning Ahead = Planning for Success

So often we as entrepreneurs say that we understand the difference between employee and contractors, but sometimes we don't.

We’ve left the 9-to-5 job mentality, we've physically started our own companies, and we’ve charted our own paths, but in the day-to-day, you might notice that there are times when you still revert back to those old tendencies.

It's only natural for some of us because we worked in the corporate world for years and years and years. Those are habits that are not easily broken, and there are new habits that need to be formed.

As the summer months come on, and the warm weather beckons you to come out and play, and your child asks, "Mom, can you come for a swim?" I implore you to put down your laptop, iPad, iPhone, pen, paper, whatever it is, and go hop in the pool. Or jump in the lake, go take a hike, go for a bike ride, go take that vacation.

The work will be there when you get back.

I’d like to think that your clients will not only understand but will probably get better work from you because knowing the time you have is precious means you can be even more focused when you come back to it.

Now go outside and play!

Go outside and play! The work will be there when you get back.